Rehabilitated duplex housing at the Charles Wood Area of the former Fort Monmouth will provide new homes for people displaced by superstorm Sandy beginnig next week. Asbury Park Press 2012

Written by

Bill Bowman

@BillBowmanAPP

Families displaced by superstorm Sandy could begin moving into 42 renovated homes on the former Fort Monmouth property by Jan. 24.

The three- and four-bedroom units are contained within 21 duplexes on Megill Drive and Circle, located in the Charles Wood Area behind Sun Eagles golf course.

Lisa Ryan, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Community Affairs, said the Army Corps of Engineers is scheduled to turn over the units to the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Jan. 18 to “allow for blinds, furniture, appliances to be completed.”

She said that all but a dozen of the units have been assigned to displaced families by FEMA.

“FEMA is working to match displaced households with the units,” she said.

The corps is also renovating 28 one-bedroom units in Building 360, located at Signal and Carty avenues in the Oceanport section of the former Main Post.

Ryan said those units are “anticipated to be completed by the end of the month and occupied by the last week of January, first week of February.”

Those units, once completed, will bring to 115 the total number of units FEMA believes it needs for families displaced by the storm, Ryan said. The first 45 units to be renovated, located in Building 365 in the Oceanport section, are occupied, she said.

“According to FEMA, it has identified what it thinks is the need for housing at the fort and is renovating to meet that need,” Ryan said in an email. “The ability exists to expand if necessary, but at this time FEMA doesn’t anticipate that because of available rental resources and FEMA mobile homes.”

She said other buildings were considered for renovations but later dismissed, with the agency opting to choose those buildings that could be renovated the fastest.

“Other fort buildings were assessed and found to be either in a flood zone or cost prohibitive to renovate due to issues with asbestos, lead paint and/or cinderblock construction,” she said.

Ryan said FEMA has not yet calculated the costs to renovate the 21 duplexes.